Every Thursday for three years, Dawn Lilly sat down with a handful of first-graders at a Renton elementary school to help them develop their reading skills.

One incident from her time there, however, will stick out in her mind — and in print —forever.

“As a tutor, I had five kids all year long,” she said. “They each have their own personalities and quirks, and I genuinely loved spending that time with those kids. You could see them grow and learn to be proud of themselves.”